CityU tuition and entrance scholarships: local fees frozen for 25 years vs non-local fees up 20% in one year

One frozen number, locked in place in 1997, finally budged for the first time in 2025. The UGC-funded tuition for local undergraduates at City University of Hong Kong — and at all eight UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong — sat untouched for twenty-seven years, while consumer prices rose by about 40% over the same period. That "freeze line" finally began a three-year adjustment in the 2025/26 academic year; meanwhile, a single year can now raise non-local tuition by 20%. This article covers City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK / 城大) undergraduate tuition and the full range of entrance scholarships; for an in-depth treatment of non-local tuition — including the cost structure behind the veterinary programme's "sky-high fee" — see Non-Local Tuition and the Veterinary Premium, and for graduate outcomes and experiential learning see Graduate Outcomes, Starting Salaries and Experiential Learning.

Tuition figures date quickly — all are tagged with the applicable academic year; please defer to the latest official announcements. All amounts are in Hong Kong dollars (HK$). Last compiled: June 2026.

Money at CityU flows in two opposing directions: one is what students pay in (tuition), the other is what the University gives out / the government chips in (scholarships, government subsidies). Because local students are UGC-funded, their tuition is very low; non-local students pay almost the full cost themselves, and from 2025 onward the amount has risen sharply. This article is arranged in three layers: "Tuition", "Local Entrance Scholarships", and "Scholarships for Mainland and International Students".

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# 1. Tuition Fees

# 1.1 Local Undergraduate Tuition — Frozen for a Quarter-Century, a Three-Year Adjustment from 2025

Local students at CityU (and local students at all eight UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong) reading a UGC-funded programme pay tuition set uniformly by the government, which has for years sat far below the cost of delivery.

The "about HK$42,100 a year for local students" mentioned on the cover page is precisely that freeze line. On 20 June 2024, the Hong Kong government announced that tuition at UGC-funded universities would rise by a modest average of 5.5%^※ per year over the three academic years 2025/26 to 2027/28, stepping up from HK$42,100^※ to 44,500, 47,000 and 49,500 (per theHong Kong government press release^※, 20 June 2024).

This is the common government-set standard for all eight universities; CityU local tuition is at the same level as CUHK, HKU and the rest.

# 1.2 Non-Local / International Undergraduate Tuition — a Substantial Rise

In contrast to local students, non-local students (international students, self-funded mainland students, etc.) reading the same programmes pay almost the full cost themselves, with sharp increases from 2025:

Per CityU's Admissions Office fees page: non-local undergraduate tuition for the 2026/27 academic year is HK$190,000 per year; the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) is HK$392,000 per year (per theCityU Fees and Scholarships page^※). CityU's mainland admissions page likewise states "non-local student tuition (per academic year) HK$190,000, veterinary medicine HK$392,000" (2026/27 basis, per theCityU mainland tuition and scholarship page^※).

CityU also notes that UGC-funded programme tuition is reviewed annually by the government; once set, the entering cohort pays that same tuition level for the entire duration of their studies (non-local students' tuition is locked at the point of entry).

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# 2. Local Entrance Scholarships: Flagship / Institutional / Dean's

CityU runs a "CityU Scholarships for Hong Kong Talents" scheme for new local students — no separate application needed; eligibility is assessed automatically on HKDSE / GCE A-Level / IB results and announced with the offer. Most are renewable (simply maintain your CGPA to renew each year), covering 4–6 years depending on programme length (per theCityU scholarships page^※). The three tiers:

# 2.1 Flagship Scholarships

The flagship tier is the highest: it covers tuition and accommodation, and carries a substantial overseas-exchange grant; renewable for 4–6 years.

# 2.2 Institutional Scholarships — by Number of 5** Subjects

This tier is what campus folklore calls the "top-scorer / 5** award" mechanism: the number of 5** grades achieved in the DSE (a marker of top performers) maps directly onto the amount — 4 or more subjects at 5** yields HK$66,000 a year, plus a one-off HK$25,000 exchange grant.

# 2.3 Dean's Scholarships

Dean's scholarships are awarded by individual faculties on academic merit; renewable for 4–6 years.

The three tiers above are open to new local students (with strong DSE / A-Level / IB results), are assessed automatically, and are announced with the offer. CityU's page does not list a "President's Scholarship" as a separate entrance-scholarship line → the "President's Scholarship" mentioned on the cover page is, within CityU's local entrance-scholarship system, presented through the flagship/institutional/dean's tiers, with no separate 'President's Scholarship' entrance award name → marked not found (if the reference is to postgraduate or other specific schemes, the official website prevails).

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# 3. Entrance Scholarships for Mainland and International Students

# 3.1 Mainland Gaokao Entrance Scholarships (by Provincial Rank)

CityU offers mainland gaokao applicants several tiers of entrance scholarship, no separate application needed — eligibility is assessed automatically on results (per theCityU mainland tuition and scholarship page^※):

Rank is calculated against the size of the cohort sitting the gaokao in the "arts/history" or "science/physics" grouping; English results in each tier must be "outstanding". Scholarships are renewable (4 years for standard programmes / 5 for double degrees / 6 for veterinary medicine), subject to maintaining a minimum level of academic performance. What campus slang calls the "top-scorer scholarship" corresponds to the Full Scholarship tier (within the top 0.1% of the province).

# 3.2 International Students' Entrance Scholarship Scheme (Three Tiers)

CityU's International Students' Entrance Scholarship Scheme is open to outstanding international students admitted to full-time UGC-funded undergraduate programmes, assessed automatically, no application required (per theCityU international student entrance scholarship page^※):

Renewal requires maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA (CGPA) each year. There is also a Diversity Grant: for first-year students from under-represented nationalities, worth about HK$30,000 per year^※ (about US$3,850); renewal requires volunteering each year.

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# 4. Government Subsidies and Financial Aid (Local Students)

Besides low tuition, local students facing financial difficulty may also apply for public funding through the Hong Kong government's Student Finance Office (SFO), e.g. grants under the Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP) and non-means-tested loans. This is a common mechanism across all eight universities, and CityU local students are equally eligible. Exact amounts and applications are governed by the government SFO's announcements (this archive has not verified item-by-item amounts on a single CityU page → for such details, the government SFO prevails).

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# Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the tuition standard at City University of Hong Kong? A: Local students (UGC-funded) had tuition frozen at HK$42,100 per year for a long period (1997/98 to 2024/25); a three-year adjustment began in 2025/26: HK$44,500 in 2025/26, HK$47,000 in 2026/27 and HK$49,500 in 2027/28, an average rise of about 5.5% a year. Non-local/international undergraduate tuition for 2026/27 entry is HK$190,000 per year, and Veterinary Medicine (BVM) is as high as HK$392,000 per year.

Q: Why was CityU tuition (for local students) frozen for so long? A: The government press release disclosed that this tuition level had remained unchanged since the 1997/98 academic year, during which time Hong Kong's Composite Consumer Price Index rose cumulatively by about 40%. The cost recovery ratio for subsidised programmes was expected to fall to about 12.5% in 2024/25; the goal of this three-year adjustment is to bring it back to about 13.4% by 2027/28 — i.e. tuition covers barely a tenth of the cost of delivery, with nine-tenths borne by the public purse.

Q: Are there any discounts or waivers on CityU tuition? A: CityU offers new local students the "CityU Scholarships for Hong Kong Talents" scheme — no separate application required, assessed automatically on DSE/A-Level/IB results — in three tiers: Flagship (up to 100% tuition + hall fees), Institutional (by number of 5** subjects; HK$66,000 a year for 4 or more) and Dean's (HK$89,000 a year at the first tier), most renewable for 4–6 years. Mainland gaokao students are eligible for full/half-tuition scholarships by provincial rank, and international students have a separate three-tier scheme plus a Diversity Grant.

Q: How do tuition and scholarships work for mainland and international students at CityU? A: Non-local students (including self-funded mainland students and international students) pay undergraduate tuition on a completely different basis from local students, locked at the year of entry: the 2026/27 entering cohort pays HK$190,000 per year, or HK$392,000 for veterinary medicine, with that level applied for the entire duration of their studies. Mainland gaokao students ranked within the top 0.1% of their exam group in their province can receive a full tuition waiver plus up to HK$60,000 in living allowance; the international Top Scholarship likewise offers a renewable full tuition waiver plus up to HK$60,000 a year in living allowance.

Q: What is the adjustment cycle for CityU tuition — the same for local and non-local students? A: No. Local tuition is adjusted by academic year (2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 each differ); non-local tuition is locked by year of entry — i.e. all non-local students in the same entering cohort pay the rate set at admission for all four years, unaffected by later adjustments. The two bases cannot be mixed when comparing figures.

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# Data Reliability and Gaps

• Official hard data: local tuition (42,100 → 44,500/47,000/49,500), the 5.5% and the cost recovery ratio (government press release); non-local tuition (170,000/190,000, veterinary 392,000) and the "locked at entry year" rule (CityU fees page); flagship/institutional/dean's scholarship amounts (CityU scholarships page); the three mainland entrance-scholarship tiers with provincial-rank thresholds, the three-tier international scheme and the Diversity Grant (official CityU pages).
• Marked "not found": a standalone "President's Scholarship" entrance award (CityU's local entrance awards are presented through the flagship/institutional/dean's tiers; no separate President's entrance award line exists); item-by-item amounts for government aid such as FASP (defer to the government SFO).
• Academic-year reminder: local tuition is adjusted by academic year; non-local tuition is locked by year of entry — the two bases differ, so check the year labels carefully when comparing.

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